Four of the twelve US rail unions have now aligned in rejecting a tentative contract deal, which has raised the possibility of a rail strike from December 9th that could cause significant damage to the U.S. economy.
The contract offer was put together by the Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) in September after President Biden got involved to thwart threats of a national rail strike at the time.
While eight unions have voted to ratify the deal, the four that have rejected it include SMART-TD, the largest Union, and the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS).
The BRS is extending its status quo period, originally set at December 4th, to align with the other three unions and the SMART-TD cooling off period, which ends December 8th, increasing fears of a seven day strike from December 9th.
Therefore, unless an agreement is reached, railroad carriers could begin prepping for a strike as early as next Friday. This would include them starting to prioritize the securing and movement of security-sensitive materials like chlorine for drinking water and hazardous materials in the wind down
Of course, there is now a short window of time to avert this action and hopefully Washington will respond accordingly. The Westbound team will be monitoring developments closely.
If you have any questions regarding the above, then Westbound are here to help. So, please do not hesitate to contact us.
